


The Break-Up Party

by spacewhistler



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-27
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-04-11 14:01:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4438205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacewhistler/pseuds/spacewhistler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by <a href="http://imagineyourotp.tumblr.com/post/69170877988/imagine-that-your-otp-felt-that-theyre-at-the-end#notes">this prompt</a>. THIS FIC DEMANDS TO BE WRITTEN.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Break-Up Party

_Sho_

End it with a bang, is what they said.

Satoshi and I decided to end our relationship in the form of a spectacular party with our closest friends and family to tell them the news. Five years together was no joke, after all.

We have mutually agreed on a break-up when we realized we have had more fights and cold shoulders over the past few months than dates that used to make us go weak in the knees. Last night was our first serious conversation after a long period of silent treatment. 

We sat side by side on our worn couch and talked like usual, without looking at each other and feeling the tense atmosphere.

“I guess there’s no helping it, huh,” Satoshi said after a deep sigh.

I nodded. “Things didn’t turn out better.”

“I would miss you, though.”

“Me, too.”

It was painful, to say the least. Satoshi and I have been friends before becoming a couple. Realizing that we have both grown tired of each other after being together for years hit me too hard. After the short dialogue, Satoshi settled to sleep on the sofa, while I took comfort on the bed. It had been our routine since the constant arguments.

We called every single person who knew and supported our relationship, not to tell them the news right away, but to invite them to this break-up party we arranged. It was ironic, since ending relationships should incite lonely feelings. But I guessed we didn’t want to cry much when we actually separate ways.

The day of the party started with Satoshi and I doing silent preparations around our small apartment. Every so often, I would hear him sigh, staring at his art pieces scattered all over the walls. He must have been thinking of his immediate move after the party. I couldn’t blame him for feeling melancholic. This apartment has been our home and with this home came our precious memories of the better part of our relationship. 

Despite our recent spats, we have always been a subdued, subtly romantic couple. We were not fans of public displays of affection but once we reach our humble abode, we would gladly act on those repressed feelings at once. As I run the vacuum over our dusty carpet, I remembered how we used to treasure our days off because those were the only times we could spend together. We would start and end the day, just curling up together on the couch.

Satoshi had been an amazing partner. He was attentive, sweet, and protective. The reason I fell for him was his eccentricity which made him stand out among the rest. He was always a great listener. I swear he could stay and listen to me going on and on about random topics I could conjure in my mind for days. Most of all, he was humble. No matter whose fault the fight was, he would always approach first to apologize. Pride meant nothing to him if we stayed fighting for much longer.

But things change and people change. Satoshi changed. I take full responsibility for it.

Staring at Satoshi now, he was no longer the bright person who would portray his happiness in the subtlest way possible. He was no longer the person who would come up to me and apologize first. He was no longer the person who used to smile at me from afar. He was just an empty shell now and I blame myself for it.

Maybe this breakup was my entire fault. 

_Satoshi_

Sho and I ended our relationship in the best way we could: only using a few words. Knowing each other for more than five years have led us to this and as much as it pains me to see our future ending, we couldn’t help it. We just didn’t feel the same way.

I used to contemplate how I loved Sho more than he loved me. We were miles apart, in terms of personality. He was talkative, I barely speak. He was outgoing, I love the indoors. He was easily bored while I could spend the whole day spacing out. I often wondered how it worked between us. But I would always listen to him, give in to his whims, and even challenge my social disabilities just to satisfy him. I was helpless when it came to Sho. I would always lose.

On the other hand, Sho could live without me. I had no requests for him to come to my aid every time. I could not demand much of his time due to his usually hectic schedule. He had always been able to refuse me but I could not do that to him.

Sho and I were completely different, like opposite sides of a pole. 

As I carefully closed the lid on the last box of my numerous paintings, I took one last deep breath and made a silent wish for Sho to find the happiness he couldn’t have with me. He deserved it.

The break-up party would start in a few hours and I had to take on the role of a gracious host. 

I would miss this place. I would miss Sho the most.

_Sho_

We didn’t speak during the preparations. We didn’t speak until the guests came. We just exchanged a few smiles along the way and in a way, this reassured me that everything would be all right after breaking the news to them.

Satoshi was on the other side of the room, talking to his family and judging by the nervous fidgeting he had going on, he must have been about to break the news of our break-up to them. I wanted to walk up to them and just offer a helping hand for Satoshi. His family had been amazingly supportive of our relationship from the very start. His mother used to make me lunch boxes for work since she heard from Satoshi how I used to starve myself in the office. His father would treat me like his own son and would talk about random stuff with me which Satoshi had no interest in. His sister has a soft spot for me since I always volunteered to take care of her daughter when she had to go somewhere. They were the best second family I could ever ask for. I looked away from them when I felt the familiar stinging in my eyes.

“Hey, Sho. What’s up with this party?” Jun asked, approaching me with a glass of orange juice in his hand. “It feels…gloomy, for some unknown reason. Something happened?”

“Um…that’s the thing, actually.”

“Did you two fight again? Because I’m tired of hearing complaints from Ohno,” Nino retorted, nursing his own drink. His sour attitude reminded me that he had always been closer to Satoshi. Maybe he understood the man more than I did. 

I looked down at my glass and sighed. “This is actually a break-up party. Something to commemorate the end of our five-year relationship.”

Aiba choked on a bit of the appetizer. “You…and Ohno…breaking up? Am I hearing things or is this true?”

“It’s true.”

“But why?” Jun was frowning.

I avoided his judging eyes. “We both agreed that things aren’t turning out well for the both of us. Maybe ending it now would mean less painful things to say in the near future. I don’t want us to come to that.”

“And how does having this party make you feel?” Nino asked and I could hint a bit of sarcasm on his tone. He was determined to avoid my eyes. “Is it happy? Can you finally breathe a sigh of relief?”

“No. It’s more like a disappointed ‘oh-I’m-finally-breaking-up-with-the-guy-I-have-loved-for-years’ kind of feeling.”

“You know what? You’re the most unfeeling person I have ever met. And please take note that I have known you since we were young,” Nino was shaking his head and his statement sent me reeling. Before I could respond, he walked away, with Aiba and Jun trailing behind him, both shooting me anxious and accusing looks. 

_Satoshi_

I could finally admit that tonight was definitely topping the list of the worst nights of my life, and yes, including that one night when I vomited several times on my first date’s lap after forcibly eating foods I didn’t like. After I broke the news to my family, my mother burst into tears and my father gathered me up in his arms for an embrace. That did it for me.   
As much as it pains them, it was triple the amount of pain for me. 

The break-up party was not a good idea, after all. It made me aware of my broken and battered heart in Sho’s hands. The worst part was, it was still in his hands, after the mutual decision of breaking up. It was not supposed to be like that.

I was supposed to be on the process of moving on by now. I was supposed to be breathing a sigh of relief. I was supposed to be free. But Sho still has it, my heart.

It surprised me to see that Sho, who was stock-still on the other side of the room, wasn’t having the best time of his life, too. It was a mutual decision, right? He should be happy. We should be happy, escaping from the clutches of one another.

But maybe break-ups weren’t meant to be ended in a spectacular way. Maybe a simple separation would have been better. Maybe it wouldn’t have taken a toll on our already fragile feelings.

The party ended without a fuss, but unlike other parties, the guests didn’t bid us goodbyes. They left with heavy feelings, throwing apologetic looks our way. It signaled the last few moments of Satoshi and Sho as a couple they have always known and loved.

Sho had his head in his hands all the while, sitting on our favorite couch. 

I didn’t have the courage to pat his back or to tell him everything will be all right. So I went to our room to gather my boxes and my bags, containing all the stuff I owned and brought them to the living room. 

When everything was all there, I faced Sho and said, “So…this is a goodbye then.”

Sho just answered with one stiff nod. 

“Could I make one last request though?” I dared to ask.

He nodded again, this one firmer than the last.

“Can I have one kiss? Just for old time’s sake?”

Lie. That was because I would miss Sho’s kiss every single day after this. I wanted a reminder of what I had lost.

He nodded, one last time, before raising his head for his eyes to meet mine. He smiled.

_Sho_

This was how it would all end.

I put an arm around his waist and wasted no time in kissing him with everything I’ve got. Kissing Satoshi was like finally being able to breathe again after staying a long time underwater. His lips were soft and responding and I knew right then that I would miss this. I would miss him. So much so, that even if he was still in my arms, I was already missing him.

Our kisses grew deeper, our breathing got shallower, and I felt like I was in a dream. If only we had the courage to do this when we were fighting, maybe things could have been resolved earlier and we wouldn’t need this break-up party.

“Stay, please. Satoshi, please stay.”

The words were spoken in between kisses. I could never get enough of him. 

“That is the best thing you’ve ever said in our five years.”

That night was pretty special and something we would not forget for the next few years. We organized another party a few weeks after that, with a bit merrier atmosphere than the last. Somewhere along the road, we would have more rough patches but more than that, there would be more apologies spoken and would eventually lead to a happily ever after.


End file.
